If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

X5's are really impressive...

I got to drive an X5 and an X5-M at the Performance Driving Center over at the South Carolina factory last October. The advantage of living in BMW's back yard and having a girlfriend who knows how to buy REALLY good birthday presents. :)

Drove the X5 on their off-road course, and was really impressed with it. They have a three-foot deep "river" you can drive it through, and opposite-wheel "moguls" where the instructor would get the X5 up on two diagonally opposite wheels, with the other wheels hanging in mid-air, and open and close the doors to show how structurally rigid it is (up on two wheels like that twists the vehicle something fierce). Really impressive... I initially thought the X5 was a grocery getter, but it really has the goods.

Also drove the X5-M on their track, and was really impressed with the 556hp engine. Liked driving the regular M5 better, but the X5-M was really something for a SUV.

Do what? You're bashing an X5 for poor quality

yet you bought a Hummer and think it's going to be a better experience? lol Dude, other than it's pathetic gas mileage numbers, there are reasons they can't give those things away these days. (and didn't they recently discontinue it as well, or did I misunderstand?)

Sorry, not to burst your bubble (and I wouldn't be if you hadn't so inconsiderately tried to rain on Giznaz's parade), but the Hummer's reputation for poor quality is legendary. Evidently you didn't do a lot of homework before you bought it. And then of course there's the whole depreciation aspect of it being worth what I figure to be about .10 cents on the dollar, best case, for what you paid for it the moment you drove it off the lot.

Whoa there Folks!!! Stand easy now.

First off, Hank, I'm sorry that you had a bad experience with an X5. That had to suck, especially after all the effort you put into your Z car to make it what it is.

Joe, No need to slam Hank for his choice. It worked for him, so it's all cool.

For me? I was looking at Toyota Tacoma's, VW Touaregs, and just decided that the X5 was going to be it. Truly it isn't my style at all. It's the first automatic that I've purchased for *me* since my GMC 4WD pickup in the mid '70's. I'm a sporty car driver, since I got my license. Mazda RX2's, VW Cabriolet's, Z3's, the 328. Had my share of older Dodge vans and pickups too. A couple Ford vans in there, but those were for my wife. Those wheels were all because they were what was needed, not necessarily what was wanted.

This thing is a behemoth, but my need is for a hauler. I've spent the last year and a half using the 328is as a pickup truck, or borrowing my son's Touareg. He's tired of those phone calls.
This fits the bill, was cheaper than the Toyota, not too much more bux than the Touaregs, and it's still a BMW.

Issues? I'm positive it will have them, it's 7 years old with 90K. I'll deal with them as they arise.

Heck, I'm still a Z3'er with mine to drive and ZeattleDave's to fix! Life remains good.

Must say the the X3 is the same exact thing...

...LOTS of things going wrong it: 84,000 and 6 years old on the car and already failed smog as a GROSS POLLUTER!!!!!!!!!! It turned out to be the "normal" BMW crap: intake booth, DISA, cyclonic oil separator... It rained once in SoCal and the entire rear carpet got flooded... Took it on the snow, and I never felt more insecure... My wife too, as passenger said: "The Z4 seems to handle better in the snow than the X3"...

Thing is I came to learn BMW inside out so I can fix them myself... Otherwise I would wake away from any of the "newer" stuff and probably stick with old school E30 when BMW was less about gadgetry and posers and more about good car making...

The Z3 was the epitome of BMW POS... Yet still love it... Dunno what the heck is wrong with me...

Probably all car manufacturer are the same these days so no news here... But let's be real among ourself... BMW are far from being quality cars... Probably just BETTER quality than something else, but for me, far from an absolute quality standard...
---------------------------------

Re: X5's are really impressive...

My wife and I drove an X6 on that same course you described when we were at the last Z3 homecoming. We were stunned at how versatile it was. Not sure how it would be after 80,000 or 90,000 miles but we sure liked it too.

Re: Do what? You're bashing an X5 for poor quality

actually this is a huge misconception that the general public makes of these things. have you owned an H2?.....if not...then you really don't know. you just know what people have told you or what you have read. then again you are only reading this too, but at least i actually own one. and i actually owned an x5 too....i more hoped that my comments helped Giznaz find problem areas on his...or at least help to keep an eye out for these problems.

the biggest misconception of the H2 is the gas mileage....yeah it ain't great....but honestly...my 2001 5.4 F150 gets about 11 in the city if i'm lucky, the H2 gets around 12-13 in the city. i bet you it can't be any worse than half the huge trucks on the road today. it just has a bad rap with the enviro nuts because it is the SUV of SUVs so they attack it as the top dog.

i have taken it offroad, it doesn't sit in a parking lot and jump curbs. i've had it in mudd up to my knees and never got stuck once. it is truely one fun SUV. i can haul tons of stuff and more than enough people too. it comes stock with things that most 4x4 trucks don't have.

it is also not a rebadged suburban. the cadillac escalade is a rebadged burb....on the H2 the entire frame is a 3 piece fully strengthened design. it is nothing like the tahoe/yukon/suburbans. the only thing the same is the engine and trans and a few interior pieces (front seats, radio, etc)....which was smart for GM to do as they are proven motors/trans, plus that helps them with replacement parts on the powertrain which gets used more than anything. everything else is completely its own.

mine doesn't have a bunch of chrome all over it, no sunroof, no dvd nav.....all i have is the leather.

the resell value is also a misconception. the reason they stopped making them isn't because they sucked...it is because GM is lousy with money and the economy tanked. they couldn't afford to produce them anymore and the chinese peeps couldn't afford to buy it, so they folded the make. which actually worked out for me. the resale value actually went up because they don't make them anymore. i'm glad too....i mean just think how hard it would have been to sell an American Icon once a Chinese company owned it. yeah right.... the trade in value on my H2 has held at the same for the last 1.5 years. it was falling when the turmoil was happening, but now that it is over it is solid. soon you will see....alot more people will want one because of the fact that they are gone now. i have paid down negative equity in that time period and actually now only owe what it is worth.

i didn't buy it new either. it was CPO and is still under warranty. and i took a risk....i bought it when things were sucking for Hummer....so i got it really really cheap...and now that the value is good again....i'm ahead. it is a 2006 w/57k on it now.

and the service is even better now too. since the make stopped....i can now go to select non Hummer dealers to get repairs/parts. which means i don't have to drive 100 miles away to get to the dealership where i bought it. i can now go to the cadillac dealer down the road.

i'm not saying it is perfect as it is human made and mechanical, but so far....nothing bad yet....nothing like that x5 i owned. i may have just had a crappy x5 to begin with....we will never know. but i do know that i got a much better H2 just in the time that i have owned it....which has been far more than the time i owned the X5.

the x5 felt more underpowered than my H2 does now. it felt like a huge heavy tank. and considering the z3 is aging....it needs lovin.....but i don't drive it all the time...so luckily for me....it holds together good....minus the rear window recently. but i'm guessing if i drove it daily rain or shine....it would be a different story.

all that is for sure is that somewhere someone has a huge POS H2 and somewhere someone has a great X5. it all just depends. hopefully for me and Giznaz...its great for both of us.

Giznaz i really do wish you luck. and if i can help and can remember what i did to fix things....hit me up.

Speaking of gas mileage and big vehicles.

I have a '08 GMC Sierra 5.3 crew cab farm truck. It has surprised me with getting 19mpg in all around driving. I did put a tonneau cover on the bed and this helped it gaining 2mpg. In 50+k miles nothing has broken, only been to the dealer for free oil changes. It has exceeded my expectations in many ways and is my daily driver now. There are good vehicles from all manufacturers so its not good to generalize. IMHO
Fred
96 1.9 Z3 black/tan/black
97 M3/4 estoril/gray
08 Kubota 3400 HST orange/charcoal
08 GMC Sierra stealth gray/gray